Snaffle bits

Take a look at different snaffle bit designs.

Bits are basic tools for communicating with your horse. In fact, the bit traces to the Bronze Age and is almost as old as man’s relationship with the horse. Used properly, the piece of metal carried by the bridle transmits cues from your hands to your horse’s mouth. Bits come in all shapes and sizes, and choosing the right bit can become, well, a bit overwhelming. To help you, we take a basic look at bits. This month, read about snaffles and their uses. Next month, we’ll discuss leverage curb bits.

What’s a snaffle bit?

Snaffle bits come with a broad array of cheek pieces, mouthpieces and decorative designs, and the type of snaffle you choose comes down to the basic needs of you and your horse. The combinations of mouthpieces and cheek pieces in a single snaffle bit are seemingly endless.

At its most basic level, the snaffle is a non-leverage bit that transmits pressure directly from your hand through the rein to the corner of the horse’s mouth. Sometimes the snaffle is improperly thought of as any bit with a “broken” or jointed mouthpiece. But that broken-mouth “Tom Thumb” snaffle bit hanging in your tack room is a misnomer, because Tom Thumbs are leverage bits and therefore, by definition, aren’t snaffle bits. The same goes for the Argentinean snaffle bit. It has snaffle in its name, but has leverage shanks—so isn’t a true snaffle.

What kind of mouthpieces do snaffles have?

The most common is the broken mouthpiece, which hinges over the tongue and works like a nutcracker. However, snaffles also come in the more uncommon straight mouthpiece, which is called a mullen mouth.

Snaffle bit mouthpieces vary in severity, too, ranging from the mild hollow “fat” mouth to double or single twisted wire bits.

Mouthpieces are also made from a variety of metals, including stainless steel, copper and sweet iron. The preferred mouthpiece style and makeup really depend on the individual needs and goals of horse and rider.

What are the differences between cheek pieces?

Loose-ring: A loose-ring snaffle (also called an O-ring) is a favorite of dressage enthusiasts and a basic tool for showing lower-level dressage horses and schooling upper-level horses. As the name implies, the loose-ring is loosely attached to the mouthpiece in a manner that allows the cheek piece to rotate completely.

Egg-butt: The egg-butt is a multipurpose snaffle cheek piece preferred by riders who value a fixed cheek piece over the loose O-ring. The ring of the egg-butt is oblong rather than round, giving it it’s “egg” name. The mouthpiece widens at the cheek piece, which eliminates any chance of pinching the horse’s lips between the joint of the mouth and cheek pieces.

Dee-ring: The dee-ring snaffle is a fixed cheek piece that comes in two styles: one for hunter horses and another for western horses. The hunter-type dee-ring lives up to its name, with the cheek piece forming a perfectly shaped capital “D.” A western dee-ring is usually more rounded, much like the bottom half of a lower-case “d.” Both styles of the dee-ring bit work the same. The flat part of the cheek piece applies pressure on the opposite side of the horse’s face. For example, if you squeeze or cue with the left rein, the dee-ring bit applies pressure on the left side of the mouth via the mouthpiece. At the same time, the cheek piece pulls around the right side of the horse’s muzzle, which further enforces the cue.

Because of the cheek piece’s design, the dee-ring will not pull through the horse’s mouth, making it a good choice for schooling young or green horses.

Full-cheek: The full-cheek snaffle is another favorite for hunter horses, and is also the preferred bit of many trainers and clinicians. The full-cheek gets its name from the full bar that extends vertically from each of the cheek pieces, which are designed to keep the bit from pulling through the horse’s mouth.

Ready to get confused? Full-cheek snaffles come in both loose and egg-butt styles, which are very similar to the loose-ring and egg-butt bits described above. Bottom line: the egg-butt full-cheek is fixed and the loose-ring full-cheek is—guess what? Loosely fixed to the mouthpiece.

The upper part of the full-cheek is usually attached to the bridle via a keeper, which loops around the cheek piece of the bit as well as the cheek piece of the bridle. The keeper holds the bit steady, adds a small amount of leverage over the poll of the horse and prevents the reins from getting caught over the cheek piece of the bit.

BY MICHELLE ANDERSON

Printed in the July 2006 issue of Appaloosa Journal.

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